The United Kingdom of Israel:
Saul, David & Solomon
Foreshadow Christ the King

Lesson 2 Samuel Anoints Saul
the First Book of Samuel  9:26—11:15

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for The United Kingdom of Israel
cross references in The United Kingdom of Israel
next lesson: Saul Displeases the LORD

This material coordinates with Lesson 2 on pages 12–17 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”
—the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–13

welcome to our in-depth study of Saul, David & Solomon
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson videos, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has been granted an imprimatur and may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the First Book of Samuel 7:3—9:25
In Lesson 1 God’s People Ask for a King, the elders of Israel (these undoubtedly are men chosen from the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob) entreat Samuel to appoint an earthly king to rule over them. Prior to this time, God himself was considered their king and protector, and specific men and women were called as judges to act as military leaders and to preside over legal matters. Samuel, who’s been serving as one such judge and is a recognized man of God, has grown old. He appointed his sons to act as judges, but they’re more interested in personal gain than in administering justice. The people’s desire to be like other nations prompts them to request an earthly king. Samuel complains to the LORD, who counsels him not to take the people’s rejection personally, since they’re rejecting God as their king. Samuel cautions the people about what they can expect if they insist on having an earthly king, and the LORD tells Samuel that Saul, a Benjaminite, has been chosen to become the people’s first king.

map notes—Rachel’s tomb
After Samuel tells Saul that he will experience a threefold sign that God has chosen him to rule over the descendants of Jacob, the first part of the sign Saul encounters occurs at Rachel’s Tomb. There he meets two men who tell him that his father is concerned about Saul’s well-being. This significant location stresses the important role that Rachel plays in salvation history and also emphasizes Saul’s lineage in the tribe of Benjamin. Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, died giving birth to Benjamin, the details of which are recounted in the book of Genesis 35:16–20, covered in Lesson 21 The Birth of Benjamin & the Death of Rachel in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. Rachel was buried by the side of the road, and Jacob and his family continued on their journey. Rachel’s tomb is located at the northern entrance to Bethlehem in territory allotted by God to the tribe of Judah. The site is regarded as a holy place by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and it’s been a place of pilgrimage for more than 3,000 years. Rachel’s descendants call her Mama Rachel and still visit her grave to ask for her prayers—much the same way Catholic Christians ask the Blessed Virgin for prayerful Motherly intercession. For more information about Marian prayers, see Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels. Although no longer in print, free lessons from this Catholic Bible study rotate on this website throughout the year, depending on the liturgical season. A contrast between Rachel and the Blessed Virgin Mary is that because Mary has been assumed into heaven, she has no grave site. This means that, practically speaking, no specific pilgrimage is necessary if men and women wish to ask the Blessed Mother for her help. Click on the map (above right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 15 in the study book The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

fluid boundaries
Observant participants have noticed that our maps show two locations in the land of Canaan for descendants of Dan. The southern location is their initial allotted territory. The Philistines encroached upon that territory, pushing the tribe of Dan to the northern location. This was a gradual process, and the boundaries of all the territories allotted to the descendants of Jacob continued in flux for some time. Because the Canaanites weren’t expelled from the area when the Israelites first arrived, battles to establish control continued. Many maps identify different boundaries attempting to show which tribe settled where; it’s difficult to hit a moving target, especially thousands of years after the fact.

Although it’s unclear from our map, the territory originally allotted to the tribe of Simeon was completely surrounded by territory allotted to the tribe of Judah. Eventually the entire area came to be considered territory belonging to Judah, and descendants of Simeon were scattered. Some remained in Judah, and some moved north where they became intermingled among the other tribes. By the time described in the First and Second Books of Samuel, Simeon is counted among these tribes sometimes collectively referred to as Israel to distinguish them from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. When the united kingdom later divides, the tribe of Simeon is counted among the 10 tribes who form the northern kingdom of Israel, while the southern kingdom of Judah is made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The half-tribe of Manasseh occupies a large area on both sides of the Jordan River, but the region is clearly within the territory of what becomes the northern kingdom of Israel.

don’t let the term prophet confuse you (21:51)
In the First and Second Books of Samuel, the meaning of the word prophet is difficult to pin down. That’s because it’s used to describe people who primarily forecast events in the future. In our day and age such people rarely are considered prophets (and their predictions rarely are correct). In the video overview for this lesson in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses the key to distinguishing canonical prophets. Although the primary function of a canonical prophet is important, the thing that sets these servants of the LORD apart from others is the depth of their relationship with God.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 2, “Samuel Anoints Saul,” on pages 12–17 in the study book.

Samuel instructs Saul
In the First Book of Samuel 9:27, Samuel tells Saul: “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” This is a significant verse introducing the idea of the prophet as a person who can speak the word of God to the king. Samuel is established as the king’s counselor. Samuel essentially is saying that Saul needs to listen to him in order to learn what to do. This is followed by the announcement of a series of events that will confirm Saul as the LORD’s choice for king. Then in the First Book of Samuel 10:8, Samuel specifies that he and not Saul will maintain jurisdiction over priestly functions related to burnt offerings and sacrifices. This is accompanied by a reminder that Samuel will show Saul what he must do. Note that there’s no room for discussion—Samuel will show Saul what to do, and Saul must do it.

Saul is told to wait seven days
The number seven repeatedly appears in both the Old and New Testaments, beginning with the first seven days of Creation described in the book of Genesis 1:1—2:3. You can learn more in Lesson 1 And God Said, Let There Be Light in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. The seven-day wait that Samuel imposes on Saul in the First Book of Samuel 10:8 echoes the Creation account and implies that the relationship between the LORD and his people is about to undergo a significant change.

biblical vocabulary—band of prophets
A confusing thing in the tenth chapter in the First Book of Samuel is the reference to a band of prophets who are met by Saul. This biblical sign that verifies Saul as the LORD’s choice for king is further complicated by the report that Saul joins this group. Roving bands of such intermediaries, who used music and dance to enter into trances, weren’t uncommon at the time, and members of these groups often were referred to as prophets. Such bands of intermediaries, as well as wizards and mediums, flourished in Saul’s day, and for a time the biblical prophets (sometimes called canonical prophets) coexisted with a number of others who claimed equal access to God. What distinguishes the canonical prophets is simple: They specifically were chosen by God to speak in God’s name. Although some others claiming access to God occasionally may have exhibited clairvoyant tendencies, they aren’t divinely called. Most of these secondary intermediaries disappear from Scripture after the reign of Saul, but until then references to such prophets can confuse readers. False prophets also remain a real danger in the present day. How might it be possible to determine whether a prophet truly is speaking for god?

who is father of the prophets?
The First Book of Samuel 10:11–12 records people asking if Saul is among the prophets, and one man responding with another question: “And who is their father?” The passage records that the first question—”Is Saul also among the prophets?” becomes a proverb, or saying common among the people. The latter question hardly can be seen as an adequate response to whether Saul is among the prophets. Instead, this question seems to suggest that fatherhood is an important concept in regard to prophets. Becoming a prophet appears to transcend traditional family ties. Although the line between prophet and intermediary is blurred, it appears that joining a band of intermediaries amounted to giving up claim to tribal lineage—or at least placing hereditary interests in a secondary position. This suggests as well the strong relational connection between the LORD and the biblical prophets called to speak in his name. It also reinforces that the office of prophet isn’t hereditary.

prophecy—you could look this up in our archives & in our library
Prophets and prophecy are essential in salvation history, but there are a number of different ideas concerning prophecy. One useful definition of a prophet comes from Abraham Heschel, a Jewish scholar and author of The Prophets. Heschel understands a prophet to be someone compelled to sympathize with God about humanity’s endangered access to eternal life. Learn more about words related to “prophets” and “prophecy” by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. Visit ex libris—main bookshelf if you’d like to learn more about Heschel’s book The Prophets and read excerpts from other books related to Bible study.

an element of secrecy
It’s worth noting that Saul hides from his uncle details of his encounter with Samuel. When Saul is asked what Samuel said to him, the First Book of Samuel 10:16 records: “‘[Samuel] told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.’ But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel also had spoken, [Saul] did not tell him [his uncle] anything.” There’s no evidence in Scripture that Samuel’s sworn Saul to secrecy. Consider why Saul might wish to hide that he’s been anointed as ruler over Israel.

pray with the Psalms—Saul’s new heart
Some scholars have identified the phrase “the LORD reigns” as the unifying feature of the Psalms, underscoring the importance of God and the kingdom to the descendants of Jacob. Psalm 119:105–112 describes a person whose heart finds joy in the LORD and who’s inclined to carry out God’s statutes. In the First Book of Samuel 10:9, as soon as Saul is anointed, he receives another heart. It appears that the LORD desires the ruler of his people to be faithful and joyful in all circumstances. History shows such obedience of faith to be next to impossible for humans, however, until God’s own Son takes on human form to rule as Christ the King. Prayed at Sunday First Vespers (Week I), Psalm 119:105–112 is included as part of Lesson 1 Set a Guard on My Mouth in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about Saul getting a new heart?
Behind the idea of Saul receiving a new heart after he’s been anointed to rule over the descendants of Jacob are some serious questions.

?  Why might God have determined that Saul needs a heart transplant?
?  What does the human heart represent, especially in Scripture?
?  What familiar Scripture passages refer to the heart?
?  What conclusion can be drawn from those passages about the spiritual purpose and function of the heart?
?  Under what circumstances have you experienced a change of heart?
?  Consider how your life might benefit if you had a change of heart today.

biblical vocabulary—a prince instead of a king
In the First Book of Samuel 10:1, Samuel appears to use intentional language when he anoints Saul: “Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it over his [Saul’s] head, and kissed him and said, ‘Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their enemies round about.’” It’s worth speculating about the difference between a prince and a king, and about why it is that Samuel deliberately avoids identifying Saul as king. Not only does Samuel not refer to Saul as king in this private anointing, he also avoids calling Saul a king later in the First Book of Samuel 10:17–24 when Saul is chosen by lot from among all of God’s people. A case can be made that Samuel’s use of the word prince indicates that God remains king (the father) and Saul is to be considered as a prince (son of the actual king).

pray with the Psalms—put no trust in princes
Psalm 146:3 warns of problems inherent with the people’s desire to follow an earthly king: “Put no trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help.” The thirteenth chapter in the First Book of Samuel describes how Saul’s weak character and pride have led him to disobey the LORD’s instructions. All is not lost for God’s people, however. The LORD always has a plan to improve the lot of his people. Psalm 146:10 concludes: “The LORD will reign for ever.” Prayed at Friday Lauds (Week I), Psalm 146 is included as part of Lesson 12 Have Mercy on Me, O God in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

kings & gods
It was common for ancient people to view their king as a god. The unique relationship the descendants of Jacob hold with the LORD prevents them from projecting godlike qualities onto Saul. This shows up in the people’s insistence that Samuel be the one to name a king to reign over them in place of the LORD as their king. As a judge, Samuel has been operating as the LORD’s representative in military and civil matters. Perhaps more significant, Samuel is perceived to be a man of God, someone whose close relationship with the LORD might allow him to broach a topic that has the potential to anger the LORD.

limitations on the king’s authority
The First Book of Samuel 10:25 records that after presenting Saul to the people as king, Samuel explains the rights and duties of the king, even going so far as to write them down. These no longer are extant, but it’s worth noting that the king hasn’t been given absolute authority. It also may be assumed that the limitations of royal authority found in the book of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 are intended to apply to Saul, David, Solomon, and their successors. Consider whether there are any known limitations placed on the kingship of the Messiah. What limitations might be placed by God on present-day political leaders?

biblical vocabulary—Ammonites
The Ammonites who attack Jabesh-Gilead during the time of Saul are descended from an incestuous union between Lot and his younger daughter. Learn some of the racy details in the book of Genesis 19:30–38, material covered in Lesson 11 The Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

military action to save Jabesh-Gilead
In the eleventh chapter in the First Book of Samuel, Saul raises 330,000 men to rescue the people of Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites. “An Emotional Call to Arms” on page 17 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King explains the special relationship between Jabesh-Gilead and the tribe of Benjamin, of whom Saul is a member. Behind Saul’s muster of troops is a threat of violence against his own people, suggested by the pieces of slain oxen that Saul sends throughout all of the territory occupied by descendants of Jacob. Saul succeeds in his military goal and his actions are hailed by the people. Saul’s success is based on a threat against his own people. Although Samuel served as a military leader in his role as a judge, there’s no biblical evidence that Samuel ever threatened the people in order to obtain victory in battle.

remember the numbers
The First and Second Books of Samuel record various instances in which the men of Israel and the men of Judah are numbered. This always is done in connection with military campaigns. Consider what can be learned from knowing how many men are mustered from Israel and how many from Judah. Moving forward, it can be helpful to pay attention to how these numbers change in comparison. What might explain why the number of men mustered from the descendants of Judah are reported separately instead of being included in total with the number of fighting men descended from other sons of Jacob?

ex libris—an in-depth look at God as king
The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King focuses on the First and Second Books of Samuel and the beginning chapters of the First Book of the Kings as imperfect Old Testament images of the kingdom of heaven. The LORD Reigns: A Theological Handbook to the Psalms by James L. Mays can provide insight into the Psalms as an aid to understanding the importance of the ancient Hebrew view of one God who rules over time and space. Mays interprets the phrase “the LORD reigns” as the unifying concept underlying all of the Psalms, making them relevant for those seeking to follow Christ the King in a secular world that generally doesn’t recognize this foundational belief of Christianity. Mays’ book, although somewhat scholarly in tone, offers rewards for anyone seeking to understand more about how the Old Testament concept of God as king applies to the present-day practice of the Christianity. At ex libris—main bookshelf, you can learn more about The Lord Reigns: A Theological Handbook to the Psalms and read excerpts from other books related to in-depth Bible study.

a study leader shares her thoughts
The following exchange veers from our standard question-and-answer format, but others may find it helpful. It comes from a study leader in a group planning to tackle one of our other studies.

comment: Thank you for your online study pages. They’re such a bonus. In our Bible study more questions come up in our leaders’ group than in my individual group about why you ask a certain question, or what you might be thinking, or where you are leading with your questions. I’ve often been able to point to the online study pages for direction and clues. I need to remind the other group leaders and myself that you’re trying to get us to think and pray about Scripture and its impact in our lives rather than limiting Bible study to an assignment that can be completed with a single academic answer.

response: We appreciate your comments, especially since we know that these online study pages aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. We go to some effort to provide optional information here and in the videos for participants who might be interested.

Matthew, Tami, and I feel that it’s important for people to know that sometimes asking the right questions is more valuable than having all the answers. It took us at Turning to God’s Word some time to get to this idea. The bottom line is that no one is able to hold onto information that they’re spoon-fed the same way that they can remember and live it when they have to dig concepts out for themselves. This is a big departure from the popular scholarly model of Bible study where everyone expects an expert to tell them what Scripture means, what’s important, and why. Sometimes when one of us sits in with a group, someone will ask what we were going for with a particular question. People almost always find it shocking when they’re told that we were thinking we wouldn’t mind hearing a discussion about what others think about the passage in question.

Studying any of the Old Testament writings presents some special stumbling blocks. These books introduce images and ideas that we might or might not recognize as also occurring in the New Testament. There’s a danger that we become so concerned with understanding the Old Testament message as it originally would have been received that we miss noticing that everything that happens in the Old Testament points toward Jesus. Then there’s the other side of that danger, in which we concentrate so much on a Christian interpretation that we miss important historical information that can shed light on Jesus and what he came to do. Finally, there’s a very real danger that we begin to view Jesus as the end point and miss seeing that the work of the Church only begins with Jesus’ death and Resurrection.

It’s easy to get derailed in one area and miss the big picture, which is why group discussion of the questions is so helpful. If one person is focusing on Old Testament history, someone else may be looking at the way the writing points to Jesus. Another person may be concentrating on how these ancient books are relevant in today’s world. Combining these different points of view gives us a clearer picture of what God is saying to us in Scripture.

more about the online study pages & videos
We hope that some people will find Bible study so compelling that they’ll want more information than realistically fits in the study books. We want to provide a vehicle for extra material and an easy way for people to ask questions and make comments, especially with so many contradictory views floating around on the Internet and elsewhere.

It’s also our intent that the books, the online study pages, and the videos each can stand alone if need be. We don’t want financial concerns or the lack of a compatible group to prevent anyone from reading and praying with the Bible. We know that there are people in our groups who never look at the website or watch the videos, just as there are people who do those things and more. The only really necessary part of studying the Bible, however, is reading the Bible. Everything else is secondary.

The caution we would add is that if you’re limiting your Bible study experience to reading the Bible—and you’re aware that you don’t understand what you’re reading—you probably should take a look at the commentaries in the study book and on the online study pages, and also listen to any related videos. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps frequently addresses some of the more obvious difficulties in those places. If you’ve read all of our related commentaries and watched our related videos and still have questions, shoot us an email. We’re always happy to discuss Scripture, and some of our most cherished insights have come about in conversation with others.

oops—a correction in the study book
Despite our best efforts reading and rereading our Bible studies before we send them to be printed, occasionally something wrong or confusing sneaks past us. Question 10 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has been updated to now read:

Question 10  Read the First Book of Samuel 11:12–15. In this passage, the people seek to have those men who opposed Saul as the LORD’s chosen ruler now put to death. What reason does Saul give for rejecting their plan? What does Samuel propose instead? What happens when the people reach Gilgal? What does this indicate about how Saul’s position has changed?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the First Book of Samuel 10:1—paragraph 436

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the First Book of Samuel  9:26—11:15 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on the biblical text in this lesson in the study book The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

O God, you gave Saul a new heart
so that he might serve your people as king.
Grant us the grace to accept
whatever change of heart you ask of us
in order that we might do your will. 
We ask this in the name of Christ the King,
who through his divine love for humanity
accepted death that we might live. Amen.

Lesson 3 Saul Displeases the LORD—the First Book of Samuel 12:1—13:23
Lesson 1 God’s People Ask for a King—the First Book of Samuel 7:3—9:25

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.